‘Intervention?’

Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 6:50 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 6:50 a.m.

Sharon Mills of Hendersonville couldn’t agree more with Jim Phelps that General Assembly members in Raleigh escaped from an asylum. “It’s the same thing in Washington, D.C.,” she says. “The ones up there get nothing done, and the ones in Raleigh have made a real mess by doing too much. Approval ratings for both reflect the mood of the voters. It’s in the basement. I’m wondering just what mental illness ails them and what we can do about it. Intervention?”

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‘SMOKESCREEN’: Arnold “Skip” Sheldon of Hendersonville unloads both barrels on Vic Urbaitis. “In his recent response to my earlier comments about the need to justify owning certain types of firearms, Mr. Urbaitis demonstrates high skills at sarcasm but leaves considerable doubt about his ability to read very well or to understand and comprehend what others have written,” responds Mr. Sheldon. “I challenge him to find a single word in my note about why firearms or automobiles were invented, or whether there should or shouldn’t be government controls on the speed you can drive. Neither of these topics were the subject of my comments, and I make no mention of ether of them. What I did comment on was the position that a person should have to justify his need to own a certain type of firearm or model of automobile. In his response, Mr. Urbaitis demonstrates a rather typical action by liberals who believe they have the right to tell the rest of the world how to live. When your position can’t be defended with the facts, logic or common sense, the thing you do is to change the subject, throw up a smokescreen and attack the person you disagree with. He must believe that if he offers enough silly examples of things that have nothing to do with the topic being discussed, he can confuse some people and cause them to forget what that subject was. Unfortunately for him, most people see through this switchand- blow-smoke technique and are looking for an honest response to the issue under discussion. I have clearly stated my position that I don’t believe people need to justify their decision to legally own a particular model of automobile or type of firearm regardless of what others think about that choice. Mr. Urbaitis apparently feels differently, so it would be interesting to have him come out from behind the smokescreen and clearly state why he believes a person must justify those decisions to others. And, just for the record, if Mr. Urbaitis were to look on the NRA website — I can guarantee his computer will not self-destruct — he would find information on thousands of local, state, national and International shooting competitions that require the use of all kinds of firearms, many of them invented specifically for this activity, that have nothing to do with killing anything.”

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LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Flat Rock Playhouse will present the international blockbuster musical “CATS” today through Oct. 6 at the Playhouse Downtown. Performances will be Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinees Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. All tickets are $40 and can be purchased by either calling the Playhouse box office at 693-0731 or online at flatrockplayhouse. org. Discounts are available for seniors, AAA members, military personnel, students and groups. Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 S. Main St. in Hendersonville. ◆ Lost Playwrights will meet Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Kaplan Auditorium of the Henderson County Library, 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville. All persons interested in any aspect of theater or creative writing are encouraged to attend. ◆ It’s not too late to sign up for the Mountains to Molehills eight-day cruise to New England and Canada beginning Oct. 17. You can pick up a reservation form and itinerary either at the Times-News on Four Seasons Boulevard or by calling our travel agent at 336-794- 3233.

<p>Sharon Mills of Hendersonville couldn't agree more with Jim Phelps that General Assembly members in Raleigh escaped from an asylum. “It's the same thing in Washington, D.C.,” she says. “The ones up there get nothing done, and the ones in Raleigh have made a real mess by doing too much. Approval ratings for both reflect the mood of the voters. It's in the basement. I'm wondering just what mental illness ails them and what we can do about it. Intervention?” </p><p>◆ </p><p>'SMOKESCREEN': Arnold “Skip” Sheldon of Hendersonville unloads both barrels on Vic Urbaitis. “In his recent response to my earlier comments about the need to justify owning certain types of firearms, Mr. Urbaitis demonstrates high skills at sarcasm but leaves considerable doubt about his ability to read very well or to understand and comprehend what others have written,” responds Mr. Sheldon. “I challenge him to find a single word in my note about why firearms or automobiles were invented, or whether there should or shouldn't be government controls on the speed you can drive. Neither of these topics were the subject of my comments, and I make no mention of ether of them. What I did comment on was the position that a person should have to justify his need to own a certain type of firearm or model of automobile. In his response, Mr. Urbaitis demonstrates a rather typical action by liberals who believe they have the right to tell the rest of the world how to live. When your position can't be defended with the facts, logic or common sense, the thing you do is to change the subject, throw up a smokescreen and attack the person you disagree with. He must believe that if he offers enough silly examples of things that have nothing to do with the topic being discussed, he can confuse some people and cause them to forget what that subject was. Unfortunately for him, most people see through this switchand- blow-smoke technique and are looking for an honest response to the issue under discussion. I have clearly stated my position that I don't believe people need to justify their decision to legally own a particular model of automobile or type of firearm regardless of what others think about that choice. Mr. Urbaitis apparently feels differently, so it would be interesting to have him come out from behind the smokescreen and clearly state why he believes a person must justify those decisions to others. And, just for the record, if Mr. Urbaitis were to look on the NRA website — I can guarantee his computer will not self-destruct — he would find information on thousands of local, state, national and International shooting competitions that require the use of all kinds of firearms, many of them invented specifically for this activity, that have nothing to do with killing anything.” </p><p>◆ </p><p>LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Flat Rock Playhouse will present the international blockbuster musical “CATS” today through Oct. 6 at the Playhouse Downtown. Performances will be Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinees Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. All tickets are $40 and can be purchased by either calling the Playhouse box office at 693-0731 or online at flatrockplayhouse. org. Discounts are available for seniors, AAA members, military personnel, students and groups. Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 S. Main St. in Hendersonville. ◆ Lost Playwrights will meet Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Kaplan Auditorium of the Henderson County Library, 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville. All persons interested in any aspect of theater or creative writing are encouraged to attend. ◆ It's not too late to sign up for the Mountains to Molehills eight-day cruise to New England and Canada beginning Oct. 17. You can pick up a reservation form and itinerary either at the Times-News on Four Seasons Boulevard or by calling our travel agent at 336-794- 3233. </p><p>Reach Lou Parris at 828-694-7836 or molehills@blueridgenow.com.</p>